Letter to a Jewish Community

For the pain of the famine is great, and since [famine is comparable to death and war], therefore, it is said: Behold the eye of the Lord is toward those [who fear Him], toward those who [wait] for His [mercy, to deliver their soul from death], and to keep them alive in famine (Psalms 33:18–19). And it is further written: In famine [He will redeem you] from death, [and in war from the power] of the sword (Job 5:20). How much the more so when the poor and starving are Torah sages . . . to keep them alive with gifts for them, to strengthen them by providing for them, to encourage them by supporting them—for one who acts on their behalf uplifts the power of Torah and raises the flag of learning.

If we swore to you, our brothers—that many times they would starve, with no food, that many times they found themselves cold, without covering for warmth—we would swear in truth. And we simply have no power to strengthen them nor to provide their rations without our and their anticipation of contributions, our and their expectation of your gifts; it is like waiting for rain after a drought: They waited for me as for the rain; they opened their mouths as for the latter rain (Job 29:23).

For the Babylonians have become impoverished and lost all their property and have experienced so much evil by violence and the heaviness of the yoke laid upon them. Now, brothers, remember your learned brothers. They are your own poor, needy ones. Share your gifts with them. And give them a portion of the bread from your own mouths. For you would bless [their souls] and the souls of their little ones and those in their care.

[Give them] the food of existence, and do not [turn aside from them] . . . and our God [will bestow reward upon you] and will command [blessing] . . . [on the work of your hands,] as it is written . . . from among you and affliction . . . [and He will remember] you when He shows favor to His people, as it is written: Remember me, O Lord, when You favor Your people; [think of me at Your salvation] (Psalms 106:4). . . . for the Lord will fill you with three kinds of fulfillment. The fi[rst, a good living], as is written: You give it to them, they gather it; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good (Psalms 104:28). Second, He will satisfy your desires, as it is written: You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor (Psalms 145:16). Third, He will satisfy you with joy, as is written: You make me to know the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand bliss for evermore (Psalms 16:11).

Remember [us with your donations,] and strengthen our hands, and do not cast us off! Encourage us, do not abandon us! Give us joy, not groaning! As our God commanded: Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the tottering knees (Isaiah 35:3), for the Lord will strengthen you and make you firm, as is written: Be strong and let not your hands be slack, for your work shall be rewarded (2 Chronicles 15:7). We have already informed you, brothers, when we wrote you, that a long time before R. Sherira Ga’on was gathered to paradise, the elders of our academy gathered with the elders of his place [i.e., his academy] and [made] peace between us and him, as well as with the gaon, his son [Hayya], our son-in-law (may his Shield protect him!), and the three of us became like one, and his son became our [son-in-law], marrying [our] daughter . . . and our son-in-law . . . betrothal papers between us, for . . . .

[In the name of] the academy you shall send it, unsigned, with not one of our names, for when a contribution is sent in someone’s name, he can take it for himself with impunity. And when you send them, let them be by the hands of our great, honored, and trustworthy representative, our teacher and master R. Joseph, our great, wise, and honored ḥaver [fellow; an honorific], the son of our teacher and master, the elder R. Berekhiah—may the mention of the righteous be a blessing—for he [Joseph] stands in the stead of our great and powerful teacher and master R. Ja[cob] rosh kallah [an honorific bestowed on leading supporters of the Babylonian academies in the diaspora, “head of the row”], who has been gathered to paradise. For we appointed him to his position and confirmed him in his place and established him in his station; now, be careful, brothers, with all these things, and watch out that you do not, God forbid, take possession [of them] for yourselves, either by mistake or through being enticed. And when you send your contributions, by all means, send your questions as well, so that you may be like your predecessors who were gathered to paradise, for their names and their questions are carved in stone.

Indeed, you know our strength in God’s Torah and our potency in the wisdom of the Bible, Mishnah, and Talmud. For we have written commentaries on many books of [the Bible] and interpreted many tractates of the Mishnah and the Talmud.

Source: CUL T-S 12.99 + T-S 12.733.